Keep the Lights On2012

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Andrew O'Hehir, author of Salon, writes "KEEP THE LIGHTS ON chronicles an emotionally and sexually charged journey of two men in New York City through love, friendship and addiction. Documentary filmmaker Erik and closeted lawyer Paul meet through a casual encounter but soon find a deeper connection and become a couple. Individually and together, they are risk takers (compulsive and fueled by drugs and sex). In an almost decade-long relationship defined by highs, lows and dysfunctional patterns, Erik struggles to negotiate his own boundaries and dignity while being true to himself. Director Ira Sachs' fearlessly personal screenplay is anchored by Thure Lindhardt (who embodies Erik's isolation and vulnerability with a gentle presence). Harrowing and romantic, visceral and layered, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON is a film that looks at love and all of its manifestations, taking it to dark depths and bringing it back to a place of grace. "Out of lost love comes a terrific work of art; it's the oldest story in the world, but it always feels new when it's done right."

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"Out of lost love comes a terrific work of art..." - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon

1 member likes this review

The film felt intimate, respectable. I wanted to watch it. I felt uncomfortable watching. I felt uncomfortable trying to be Erik. I am not yet ready for the film, but I will try it again. I do not have to change my sexual orientation to watch it again, but I do have to deal with my discomfort.

Member Reviews (18)

THE FILM WAS VERY WELL ACTED. ERIC TRULY LOVED PAUL BUT I HAVE TO WONDER IF PAUL TRULY LOVED ERIC. HE ALLOWED DRUGS AND HIS SELFISHNESS DESTROY THEIR RELATIONSHIP. HE HURT ERIC IN SO MANY WAYS. HE DISREPECTED HIM, TO THE POINT OF HAVING SEX WITH ANOTHER GUY WHILE ERIC WAS SITTING IN THE LIVING KNOWING WHAT HE WAS DOING AND HAD THE NERVE TO CALL ERIC INTO THE BEDROOM WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON. ERIC UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS THE DRUGS THAT WERE CAUSING HIM TO DO THE THINGS HE DID. ERIC HAD TO MAKE A HARD DECISION. EVEN THOUGH HE LOVED PAULAND HE STOOD BY HIM ALL THOSE YEARS, HE COULD NO LONGER SUBJECT HIS HEART TO BEING POSSIBLY DESTROYED AGAIN SO ENDING THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS THE CORRECT, HEALTHY, AND WISE DECISION.

The film felt intimate, respectable. I wanted to watch it. I felt uncomfortable watching. I felt uncomfortable trying to be Erik. I am not yet ready for the film, but I will try it again. I do not have to change my sexual orientation to watch it again, but I do have to deal with my discomfort.

The acting was very good and production values excellent. To be truthful, the theme of this movie left me cold. Drug addiction and the unresolved consequences of it gave me the feeling of being in limbo: neither hopeful nor completely despairing of its final resolution. It's too bad they did not make this into an old fashion love story, a little rocky, but ending in a passionate embrace!

A disturbing film which depicts poisonous relationships and human lives down the drain, wasted with drugs. The film drips with psychopathy. I would not go so far as to call it a work of art. Troubling and sad. Barely watchable, which probably means the acting was good, What, indeed, does capitalist civilization DO to people? It is the incubator for all of us.

I have seen this film on another web site. I thought it very well done; powerful yet disturbing in that such a horrible "affliction" would take precedence over a loved one - but that is just one of the horrors of addiction. Worth watching......

If you want to believe that all gay men today live their lives like sitcom characters, then this is not the film for you. I for one am not interested in the people that have everything, that can feel comforted by their lives at the end of the day because it's all just so swell. I'm interested in what it means to struggle with our demons on this earth, regardless of sexuality, color, or beliefs.

Tragic decade between two gay lovers. It is very real and raw emotion. I can't imagine the hurt in both these characters. Although I know people have experienced this whether in a homosexual or heterosexual relationship.